


On Serenity

by Katherine



Series: A Transport Breed [1]
Category: Firefly, Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Genre: Alternate Universe - Temeraire Fusion, Episode: s01e01 Serenity, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 11:39:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8160881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherine/pseuds/Katherine
Summary: Serenity was sleeping in the thin sunlight, apparently undisturbed by the bustling activity of the Eavesdown docks. She was a smallish dragon for a transport breed, greyish brown. Her blue-edged wings were folded neatly at her sides and her yellow tail wrapped around herself.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [idelthoughts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idelthoughts/gifts).



Serenity was sleeping in the thin sunlight, apparently undisturbed by the bustling activity of the Eavesdown docks. She was a smallish dragon for a transport breed, greyish brown. Her blue-edged wings were folded neatly at her sides and her yellow tail wrapped around herself.

Book kept part of his attention on the dragon while he talked with Kaylee, whose parasol was a startling pop of colour that matched Kaylee's cheerfulness. She must be a well-trusted crewmember, Book thought. Often a captain wished to personally decide on passengers, or had to soothe a dragon that had certain preferences in what people came aboard. But there was no sign of Serenity's captain being near, and the dragon herself seemed to remain asleep while they negotiated.

*

Serenity wasn't all the way asleep, but what warmth there was felt good when she stayed still, and she was tired. Kaylee would try to pick good passengers for her, ones who didn't stomp around or complain (where she could hear, at least) about the small quarters. Of course where they slept was hardly more than a bunk and low tent over it, how much else could be fit against a dragon's side? They were lucky she was equipped for passengers at all.

Carrying passengers wasn't an entirely comfortable experience. One couldn't get to know them very well, not when they were only aboard for a short time. She much preferred her own familiar crew, or most of them. She was used to Jayne but a little suspicious of him nonetheless, never forgetting that when they first met he had been pointing a weapon at her captain.

Jayne was admittedly useful on their side now, in weapons-work and intimidation and doing his part on the salvage runs. This most recent time, as usual, her captain had insisted she stay back while he salvaged, and Wash had kept her there, out of sight of what they plundered. She didn't know if had been gruesome, or weathered to bones. Mal hadn't even shown her what treasure they'd got, so she had only the boring outsides of the boxes to think about when she felt them nestled in hidden places against her, hidden by innocent materials.

 

Serenity stirred as the section of netting with the new passenger's cargo was drawn taut against her underside. She twisted around to nose at it, complained that there were sharp corners in such a spot, and something cold there. Once her crew made a few adjustments, she settled about the cargo, still unsure.

She lifted and dipped her shoulders, rocked her long body a little ways from one side to the other, and even shook her haunches although Kaylee might scold her for that. But even in those adjustments she did not feel overburdened. Inara's rolled-compact tent was in its accustomed place on her side. Serenity's crew had put the passengers in balanced quarters, and Mal would forbid the guests from walking about on her.

*

While Book added a little more of the spice to the stew, Kaylee turned to set each divided section of the low table. That was an innovation since Book had last flown on the back of the Firefly. They would be sitting at it, not standing, but having a dragonback dining area at all was an accomplishment.

Setting the pot of stew in the central compartment of the table, Book noticed that Kaylee had arranged extras next to one place. That would be the captain's. Three long skewers, one with a tomato sliced and gleaming with salad dressing, the second with the stewed root vegetables. On the third skewer were two of the valuable strawberries that had bought Book's passage here.

 

Mal didn't sit at the table, leaning over as if in a rush, and ate a few bites only before catching up the skewers. At Book's admittedly curious look, Mal shrugged. "Might as well come up if you want, you brought this eating," Mal offered. "Just don't go saying grace."

A little unsteady, although Serenity was flying remarkably level and easy, Book followed Mal out the flap of the small tent that made the dining "room" on this dragon's back. 

Without changing her pattern of wingbeats, Serenity curved her head back and delicately took the food from each of the skewers Mal extended to her in turn. She licked her lips after the strawberries, a disconcerting flash of deep red tongue. Her voice was quiet. "Thank you." Book was not entirely sure if she was addressing him or only her captain, but he nodded nonetheless.

Book returned to the table along with Mal. The meal was not an auspicious first one aboard, the passengers (Book himself not excepted) being evasive and the crew probing, but it was an interesting one.

 

The confrontation happened on Serenity's side, just before Simon could reach the crawl space into the reinforced cargo-net that stretched along her belly.

The other passenger, Dobson, stayed at full angry pitch. The crew were shouting. Then Book saw, in a flash of knowing and blood that stripped away the hard-won peace of his time at the Abbey, Kaylee falling flat. Dobson's shot had caught her in the belly, and her blood gleamed on the straps that clip her to Serenity.

Serenity twisted her head around, keening as if she herself were injured, but Mal called, "Keep flying."

*

Serenity kept flying as level as she could, keeping her wingbeats steady. She was hoping, maybe pretending if she considered the true likelihood, that the smoother she travelled onwards the less Kaylee would hurt. Wash stroked her neck. She could hear Mal yelling, "What Serenity has is a dragon-doctor, who you gorram shot!" Then, low and commanding, "Simon, doctor her."

Wash tapped Serenity neck for her attention, told her a course correction, and said soothing, meaningless things to her. She could feel as Mal and Inara worked with desperate haste on her back, unpacking the long-ignored crew infirmary and resetting the lashings to create enough space for Simon to work.

*

Mal slipped his hand from Kaylee's. Her hand was limp, and she did not stir.

Feeling every movement weighted, Mal took himself out of the infirmary-tent. Then down one of the ladder-like columns of handholds in Serenity's harness, to talk to Jayne.

"No one into the cargo net, not before we land," Mal said sharply, holding his eyes on Jayne. "We'll find out what they brought on board." His mouth twisted. "After we get our particular cargo sold."

*

"She shot you before." The words were an angry rumble, echoing the crew's earlier protests with deeper feeling. Possibly Mal should have revealed the plan to Serenity before they landed on Whitefall, but then she might have been sulking the whole trip. It was hard to anticipate dragons, or perhaps Serenity had more changeable moods than most. He wouldn't know; this was his first captaining of a dragon, and she had had other captains before she became his.

"Let's keep the cargo," Serenity suggested, adding as she tried to be convincing, "and sell it somewhere further on, where no one shot you. Someone is sure to buy it: all the bricks are so shiny."

Mal blew out a sigh. "Best to show you what it is," he said. Serenity angled her head nearly flat to get a look as Mal unwrapped what wasn't gold at all and held it out to her. She sniffed the revealed ration warily.

Kaylee tugged the wrapper itself from Mal's hand, examined it, and told Serenity the ration wouldn't be good fuel for a dragon.

"Alliance-marked food would give you a bellyache," Zoe put in loudly.

Once Mal, Zoe, and Jayne were readying themselves to go out to the meeting point, Serenity hissed, more threat than whisper, "If she won't pay, leave the cargo buried and we'll come back for it." It was not, perhaps, very surprising that burying something (uninterestingly-edible inside the wrappers but nonetheless metallic-looking on the outside) made it feel more like treasure to her.

Her concern for the cargo wasn't the most useful, but Mal would take whatever distracted Serenity from Kaylee's condition, right now. He had to put it out of mind, himself, and go make the bargain for enough coin to keep them all supplied.

*

When Zoe and Mal's horses veered up, Serenity was standing ready. A little of the tension in her tight-held claws relaxed as she assured herself that her returned captain and crewmember were safe. Zoe executed a showy leap from the back of her horse, then Zoe and the captain attached themselves to Serenity's harness. Serenity's tension transmuted to taut readiness for flight.

Serenity snatched up one of the horses as she flexed her wide-held wings. As the dragon rose, scraps of leather fluttered down, and a buckle winked brightly as it fell.

Serenity was on the wing, held ready to maneuver at Mal and Wash's commands. She would give all her speed at Kaylee's urging, her dragon-doctor strapped and padded, weak but alive. Serenity would keep all those aboard her safe.


End file.
